From the President’s Desk: January 2011

I want to thank you for being a part of my life this last year. I am lucky and very blessed to have friends who are smarter, better-looking, funnier, more successful and talented than I am – you all give me a goal to strive for.

As we go into a new year, here is what I hope for each of you:

You have everything you need. I used to wish and hope and pray to get everything I wanted. God gave me that once and it was a nightmare. Now I simply ask to have everything I need, not want.

Appreciation for friends and family. When I can focus more on someone else and less on me, when I can honor differences, and accept people for who and what they are, things are infinitely more pleasant. My “way” and your “way” don’t have to be the same.

Laughter, at yourself and situations around you. I once heard someone say their family motto was, “Learn to laugh at yourself. If you don’t do it, we’ll do it for you.” Really, why do we make things bigger and more serious than they need to be? We’re all just Bozos on this bus of life. We each make mistakes. Move on.

Someone to love us. Whether it’s a pet or person, we need to feel we matter to someone; somebody who lights up when they see us walk into the room. Please surround yourself with these people.

Something new. We need to challenge our brains to stay sharp. New things also expand us as people… we avoid getting dull and boring. Take on a new project, make a new friend, step outside of your routine. The hard situations are the ones that help us grow.

Baseball. Sorry, I couldn’t help it. It is great to sit at the end of the bench on a championship team. Not everybody is going to be Willie Mays. Find a role you can play well. If you are the 25th man on a 25-man roster, be the best 25th man there is.

Thank you all for being in my life . . . I hope you stay!

Happy New Year!

-Becky Patton-Quigley

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